I thought I’d do an article about dealing with controversies you may experience and topics you may still be confused about when learning about a low fat plant based diet. So I’d like to take the opportunity to share with you an overview to give you an understanding of why I promote what I do and why.

I know I can’t please everyone of course, but I do try to help the majority of people the best I can. Sometimes though I receive nasty comments, emails or Facebook messages though from upset, irate or crusading individuals who focus on the one “supposedly important” belief they hold that I don’t agree with. I wonder if these people actually realize how they come across and that I am a real person like them, and I am only trying to educate, focus and help as many people as possible eat as best they can.

The internet is not always a kind place, let me tell you and sometimes it’s even worse when you have an online business and public persona to attack. I will admit that it’s hard for me to not care what other people think and it does hurt my feelings to receive nasty or rude comments via email or another social outlet for my business. This is the nature of the internet these days, and many people hide behind their computers and criticize others more harshly than they would these same people in person. There isn’t really a solution to this, but I will just ask that you consider that everyone behind a computer is a real person and think twice before becoming one of these angry online posters. Beliefs and lifestyles make people very emotional and it’s quite easy to get up in arms about a difference of opinion and try to convince someone that they are 100% wrong and you are 100% right.

I don’t pretend to argue that I am 100% right about everything, but I do my research and do stay well informed. I trust the doctors I stand behind such as Dr. McDougall, Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Ornish and Dr. Campbell, and I do agree with almost everything they promote. The differences between our beliefs is pretty small, and it can be because of my own experience or my physical or financial circumstances in some small cases. But I still trust their judgement and like to share their conclusions and research with my readers. I don’t just promote anything willy nilly and it can be frustrating when people get mad at me when my reasoning is substantiated.

The most frequent criticisms I get are actually about things that almost all of the aforementioned doctors agree with or support though (apart from 1 or 2 items and i’ll explain why) so it is sometimes disappointing hearing this negativity when I am supporting good information. Generally this criticism comes from people who still eat meat, believe carbs are bad and fats are good, are either for or against raw foods, are food snobs/food police, believe in moderation in everything (including bad things) or don’t know what my website is about.

Some of these contentious topics for my readers are:

Me eating and promoting a vegan or plant based diet (avoiding all forms of animal products)

Me eating and making 100% oil-free cuisine and using whole plant fats in small quantities only

Me making cooked food recipes (not 100% raw) and having raw recipes and labelling them for the blog

So I wanted to bring this into perspective. All topics might not apply to many of you, but I think it’s helpful to discuss why I stand behind some of these beliefs and hey you will probably learn a few things too!

The Animal Food Controversy

Based on the amount of new traffic and subscribers I get, I believe that a big portion of my readers aren’t actually vegan or plant based at all. Some of them might be striving to be as plant based as they can and learn how to eat less meat and how to cook more veg and this is great. I’m not necessarily trying to force anyone to eat all vegan with my website, but I am trying to encourage them to not need to fall back on meat and dairy because of a lack of desire for plant foods. Some people feel the need to tell me that being vegan is dangerous or bad for health and I wonder why they feel the need to tell me this. There is more support now than there has ever been for a well balanced plant based diet. There is no reason to not be able to educate yourself on this issue with the amount of free information out there so please don’t fret that eating this way is dangerous or bad for your health. (Excluding serious allergies, which is a different matter and doesn’t apply to general public.)

My stance on animal foods: Eat as many plant based as you possibly can for YOUR HEALTH and the environment. Please don’t eat meat and animal products simply because you think you HAVE to or you’ll be deficient in something, or because you are afraid not eating like everyone else is too uncomfortable. Everyone has different dietary restrictions and philosophies these days. The chance that you are going to be the “only” weirdo eating different or plant based is smaller and smaller. If you are going to eat animal products – please please be choosy! Only eat them very occasionally, make sure they are high quality (not fast food) and pick something you enjoy. Don’t do it to make other people happy, fit in, or because you’re scared to not eat meat every meal or every day. You control your health, you control your choices. Please decide based on information, not out of fear. To eat or not eat animal products is 100% in your control.

The Oil and Fat Issue

Despite what you may have heard olive oil, butter, lard, coconut oil, flax oil and any other oil IS NOT health food. Let me be clear on this. Whole foods are healthy, refined foods should not be labeled as healthy. The companies that own these refined products spend millions every year convincing you why you NEED to buy their refined so called “health” food. White sugar, white flour and any kind of oil are not health foods. They contain 100% simple sugar or 100% fat. So if you already know sugar isn’t a health food, you shouldn’t believe oil is a health food. It has no fibre, no water, no vitamins or minerals and there is no reason to be adding MORE oil to our diets when every single packaged food and restaurant item is cooked or drizzled in oil. How could you possibly be oil deficient in this world? It doesn’t happen. We have a problem with too much omega 6 in our diet which comes from animal foods and vegetable oils. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, it doesn’t have omega 3, olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, it does not have much omega 3’s and a lot of omega 6’s. For the “healthy” omega 3’s (also known as polyunsaturated fats) we actually get all we need from whole fruits and vegetables (which do contain small amounts naturally), and it’s also found in higher quantities in chia, flax and English walnuts. Please see registered dietician and plant based enthusiast Jeff Novick’s video excerpt on youtube From Oil To Nuts (or you can get the whole Oil to Nuts lecture here) and his articles Myth of Moderation Part 1 to get more detailed information. If you have any confusion about which fats are actually good for you and the truth about olive oil and coconut oil please check out those resources.

My stance on fat: I’m not sure why some readers mistakenly believe I am somehow against fat in general. I am not against whole food fats, and I do not tell people they have to eat fat free, nor do I call myself a fat free chef. What I do though is only use whole forms of fat in small quantities and keep it to once a day only. For instance i’ll use a little nuts or nut butters in a salad, a little avocado or guacamole on a bean taco/burrito, or make a dressing with hemp seeds, tahini or chia seed. If I have fat in my dinner, I don’t have any extra fat in breakfast or lunch. Why? Because fat is the most concentrated form of calories next to white sugar and white flour, and oil is the highest calorie food by volume in the world. So a little actually equals a lot, and a sufficient amount. Also it helps to keep my fat intake low at home as sometimes eating out the restaurant food will be higher in fat anyways. We need to reduce the amount of meat, dairy, butter, margarine and oil we have in our diets. Use whole fat IN a recipe, and don’t cook in oil (a refined fat).

Organic and GMO

I’ve noticed many people in Europe and California (where they can get lots of organic and non gmo foods) are very critical of others not eating 100% organic. Did you know that Dr. McDougall also lives in California and doesn’t insist that all of the food his clients and event attendees eat be 100% organic? Of course he and all of his colleagues are aware of organic and GMO’s, (they are doctors, researchers and scientists you know) and they promote whole foods plant based instead. Why? Because whole plant foods actually contain very little fat (fat cells store toxins) and pesticides aren’t found in as high amounts compared to conventional animal products. Even eating conventional and GMO plant based foods isn’t a big concern to the plant based doctors, as they haven’t seen any evidence of people getting sick eating this way. Some people are more sensitive to pesticides than others, but this is not the majority of people and not the most important issue for the general public.

My stance on organic and GMO: Like I said in my recent article, I don’t eat 100% organic. I can’t afford to for #1, and #2 where I live in Canada there isn’t the ability to get everything fresh and organic. Food is shipped in from the USA or other countries for the majority of the year. I personally have never had a problem eating conventional foods. I still wash and peel most things, but actually since becoming plant based I never get colds or illnesses anymore. I think cutting out meat, dairy and oil are the most important things to worry about. Eating lots of organic meat, butter, cheese and oil every day is not healthy just because it’s organic! Please put this in perspective. Eat as best you can afford. We don’t all have the luxury to spend thousands on food every month. I already spend almost $1000 a month on conventional food as it is for my recipes and testing! Do the best you can.

Canned Goods

Occasionally I used canned goods in my recipes, sometimes for my convenience sometimes to make recipes more accessible to others short on time. Some readers are very concerned about using canned goods and refrain from eating any at any cost and criticize me for being lazy or using “dead food” to make recipes with.

My stance on using canned goods in cooking

I certainly don’t turn to canned foods for the basis of every meal as I prefer to use fresh vegetables and beans when I can. I don’t like the taste of canned foods over fresh ones by any means, but I do use canned tomatoes as my most commonly used canned item. Next would be canned beans when I’ve run out of fresh cooked beans. Now I know all about BPA in canned goods and I am not recommending that anyone choose canned goods that contain a plastic BPA containing lining. (These linings are generally white). So I like to use items without BPA such as Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes – my favorite for canned tomatoes and Eden Organic Beans – as they are oil and sodium free. But you can also find canned goods that are conventional without a BPA lining. Look for ones that say BPA free, or when you open them have a metal inner lining instead of white plastic. I don’t have a lot of awesome tomatoes year round being in Canada so I use canned tomatoes more often, but I look for ones that are BPA free and low or lower in sodium and that works for me. None of the plant based doctors are concerned about canned goods damaging your health, so this is up to you whether to include them or not. If you can grow your own fruits and vegetables and/or can them yourself, then great. If you want to cook your own beans from scratch I recommend the EZ Bean Cooker Do your best!

The Wheat and gluten (and carbs) being bad craze

Gluten free and low carb diets are all the rage right now, mostly promoted by paleo style eaters who try to convince everyone that wheat, gluten, grains and starchy carbs are generally bad for health and make you fat. They recommend of course that instead you eat loads and loads of meat, fat, oil, sometimes dairy (depending who the guru is), lots of green vegetables (cuz they’re “low carb”) and a scant amount of fruit (mostly berries as they believe sweet fruit which has carbs is bad). The unfortunate thing is that while it is certainly healthy to omit processed foods and get rid of all white flour and white sugar from your diet, you will not necessarily continue to thrive and lose weight eating a high fat diet. Many people feel ok initially and then feel burnt out and crave carbs like crazy over time. Omitting whole grains, and root vegetables simply because grains contain gluten and root veggies have starchy carbs makes it hard for many to feel satisfied leading them to eat more and more meat and fat. This can be bad for your heart and arteries, put you at risk for cancer and leave you feeling lethargic, headachy, cranky and make you want to binge on simple sugars and “cheat” on your diet.

My stance on wheat products, gluten and carbs

I don’t want anyone who is not diagnosed as having Celiac Disease being terrified of wheat and gluten containing products. If you do not feel seriously ill with cramping, bloating, vomiting/diarrhea within 20 minutes of eating wheat products you probably don’t need to get tested for Celiac Disease or a wheat allergy and be terrified that wheat and gluten is “making you fat”. Celiacs (many have Irish ancestry fyi) that feel bloated and fat have another issue, the allergic reaction to gluten is causing their abdomen to become distended and their intestines are inflamed and irritated. Depending on the severity of their allergy to gluten they can feel very ill for 24 hours to a few days which makes it difficult for them to go about daily life. If you are very sick all the time from eating a standard American diet then you will want to talk to your doctor and undergo some testing to find out what the problem could be. But Celiac Disease will only affect roughly 1 in 100 Caucasian people and it can be much much lower in other ethnic groups.

I have eaten gluten free and tried gluten free products for a while and actually feel much worse in the end eating them than whole grain products. Why is this? Because gluten free breads and snacks use refined rice flour, almond flour, coconut flour and other refined low in nutrient products and bind them together with A TON OF OIL to get it to stick. Without gluten (which is a sticky protein that makes dough elastic and stretch) a lot of oil and fat is needed to achieve edible baked goods. In fact gluten free products contain less nutrients (as they are not fortified) and MORE calories and MORE fat than whole grain wheat bread or baked goods. I also have friends with Celiac Disease who actually didn’t fare too well eating gluten free packaged products anyway and ended up giving up all processed food in order to feel better. Gluten free junk food like white bread, pizza, cakes, cookies etc. is STILL junk food. It’s not healthy just because it’s wheat and gluten free.

So if you are afraid carbs are “making you fat” switch refined carbs such as white sugar and flour containing products for whole food versions. You don’t have to eat bread, cake, cookies, pasta, pizza, tortillas etc. if you are trying to cut down on calories. Instead try steel cut oats instead of toast or cereal for breakfast, brown rice instead of pasta for a side dish, barley instead of pasta in soup, and use lettuce leaves for wraps or sandwiches instead. You can reduce the amount of refined carbs you eat and up the amount of whole grains, whole fruits and whole vegetables you eat and achieve weight loss without feeling hungry and “under carbed”. Whole foods that are high in water and fiber can fill you up and satisfy you without the need for refined sugar and refined flour.

To supplement or not to supplement

With Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s new book “Whole: Rethinking The Science of Nutrition” that came out this year, some readers have been upset by my mentioning or promoting vegan supplements. Dr. Campbell explains why he is against supplementation in his book and how to eat a plant based diet without the need for any.

My stance on supplements

I got some blood tests done in January to check for a number of things vegans/vegetarians should check on, and I was low in Vitamin D and a little low in calcium (which requires Vitamin D to absorb properly). My B12 was fine as were all my other markers, but I’m only 28 so I’m not at huge risk for deficiencies and have been eating plant based for 4 years now. Just to be safe (as I do travel a lot and don’t always eat enough leafy greens every single day) I use Dr. Furhman’s Gentle Care Formula supplement, Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA supplement and an extra vegan Vitamin D3 supplement. That’s my personal choice. I mention good supplements because I have so many new readers and subscribers who have illnesses and deficiencies and are not plant based or able to fully commit to eating plant based. That’s why I still point some people to Dr. Fuhrman’s supplements. If you are fully committed to a plant based diet and are eating a wide variety of quality produce each and every day, you probably don’t have to worry about anything other than Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 (and you can supplement if you find you are low on those in your yearly blood test). Also most supplements the general public are taking contain inappropriate amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, iron, copper, beta carotene and folic acid which can be toxic in large doses. Dr. Furhman’s supplements do not contain those ingredients and contain appropriate and safe levels for all vitamins and minerals. If you are going to supplement PLEASE do not use standard mass produced brands such as Centrum or Centrum Silver and choose a supplement without Vitamin A, Vitamin E, iron, copper, beta carotene and folic acid as we get enough of that eat a plant based diet.

I’ve already written an article recently on non-stick cookware because so many of my readers were questioning my use of teflon pans. You can read it here.

My stance on non-stick cookware

It is far unhealthier to cook in cast iron, aluminum or stainless steel with Pam, oil, butter or lard than it is to cook in water in a non-stick teflon pan. Once you’ve used your pan once, and you cook on medium high heat you are at very little risk for any PFOA fumes forming and causing you harm. Bottom line – no one has gotten sick from using non-stick teflon pans and they are very safe nowadays. The only problem could be if you left it on high heat with nothing in it smoking for a while and you saw fumes forming. With proper use there is no need to worry!

Cooked food vs raw food

I have readers that are fans of either raw vegan food, cooked vegan food or both. I first started out by creating raw food recipes with my Savory Raw Dinner Recipes program for those wanting to eat 100% raw or mostly raw but still low fat and oil free. I had never had much cooked vegan food or even vegetarian ethnic food and have since taught myself how to cook homemade vegan dishes as well. Some readers are terrified/annoyed at my cooked food recipes and some others are afraid of some of my raw recipes on the blog because I labeled them “raw” and it sounds like a fad/cult diet.

My stance on cooked food

I really missed steamed broccoli and baked potatoes and baked yams eating a 100% raw food diet. I had also never eaten many beans or lentils and once I learned how to cook those I was really attracted to eating beans and rice or lentils with rice. They’re inexpensive, filling and easy to make and I enjoyed eating them more than raw food entrees that were mostly nuts with raw zucchini, carrots and cucumbers as the only veggies.

I don’t believe cooked food is poison and do enjoy a lot of veggies plainly steamed or baked. All of the plant based doctors recommend steaming, boiling and baking for healthy cooking methods so I don’t find there is anything to worry about. However I still enjoy eating some of my produce uncooked, such as fresh fruit, green salads and green smoothies. I don’t usually eat cooked meals 3 times a day, one to one and a half meals are usually raw with fresh produce.

My stance on raw food

Some people can be successful eating a high raw or 100% raw diet. For me, it limits the amount of recipes I can create and makes it difficult to feed my family without serious complaints of eating room temperature or cold food day after day. My family was not very happy eating raw food when they saw me, but were more accepting of eating cooked vegan dishes. Omitting meat seemed to be easier for them once I had cooked vegan dishes with lentils, beans or tofu.

I still love eating fresh produce and all of my green salads are raw. I make my own raw dressings from fresh fruit, fruit juice, nuts or nut butters and a little vinegar and spices. I only label recipes as raw on the blog not to scare people away, but just so search engines can direct people looking for specifically raw recipes to my website. I still enjoy making recipes for everyone and keep them oil free and low fat with a wide variety of fresh raw and cooked plant foods. So please don’t let labels or crazy trendy restaurants scare you away. I make delicious normal food for every day people!

In Summary, the most important things to remember for healthy eating are:

Eat plant based or as close to plant based as you can. Don’t eat animal products because you feel you have to to please others or fit in.

Eat whole foods for the majority of your meals – even if you can’t afford 100% organic or GMO free. Canned foods are ok, just look for BPA free cans.

Don’t use oil because you think it’s healthy for you, or you “need it”. Get the facts.

Don’t fall for the gluten free/low carb fad. It’s promoted by people wanting you to eat loads of meat, fat and oil (and they sell oils and supplements too) Eat whole grains, not refined sugar and flour to feel great and lose weight.

Cook oil-free – even if it means using non-stick cookware. Which is actually not dangerous like you may have previously thought. There’s actually hundreds of times more PFOA fumes released in the liner of microwaveable popcorn bags than from even new non-stick cookware, and there’s almost zero produced with well used cookware.

You don’t have to supplement if you eat 100% whole foods and plant based, but if you aren’t you can consider supplementing with a quality supplement.

Eat a variety of fresh and cooked fruits and vegetables. Mix it up and eat the foods you like!

So I think I’ve covered everything and there’s no need for anyone to reprimand me for being uneducated in any of these issues and freak out. Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think in your comments below and as always let’s be kind and respectful to each other.

Our Thanksgiving is already long gone in Canada, but I saved this post for my American readers as many of you have a hard time deciding on what to make and spend a lot of time worrying if your guests or family can survive a meal without turkey or ham on a big holiday. Lol. Well never fear I can help give you some ideas for filling out your plant based Thanksgiving menu with ease.

I make everything from scratch and find that whipping up mashed potatoes and mashed yams/sweet potatoes an absolute BREEZE in my pressure cooker. I actually have 2 now, one is an EZ Bean Cooker pressure cooker that I can set manually for cooking anything else other than beans as well, so I fill one with potatoes, one with yams and then I don’t have to sacrifice stove top space and watch the pot. This is a huge time saver and I use my pressure cooker every holiday to makes my potato recipes.

A few things I’ll mention, I actually forgot about making stuffing this year as I focus more on making my lentil loaf recipe, stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes. No one seemed to mind though and having an alternative side of Greek Stuffed Peppers was actually a healthier option than traditional stuffing. The other thing is that I ran out of pecans and didn’t have any for my mashed yams but they were still delicious none-the-less. I also just realized that this Thanksgiving dinner was essentially gluten-free as well so everyone with dietary restrictions can enjoy it! And best of all we had so much leftovers for the rest of the week it was SO nice not having to cook each day. (As my lentil loaf recipe makes 2 loaves and I made a double batch of gravy!)

Here are my favorite veganized Thanksgiving dishes to share with you since many of you will be dining plant based or trying to dine mostly plant based this year and still feeding some carnivores too! All of these recipes have been tested on my family and their non vegan friends, so I assure you they are crowd pleasers.

Sorry for the hiatus, a lot of stuff has been going on, including moving and not having a proper set up to take my food photos at the moment. I also updated my Mac operating system and lost the ability to use Aperture which held all my previous photos and I’m working on learning new photo editing programs. Currently I suck at using them… so for the moment: basic iPhone photos! Yay. It’s not as pretty for sure, but it will do in a pinch and you get the idea. Besides the food is way more delicious anyway, just make it and see.

With fall well underway and my pantry kind of overflowing in dried beans and lentils that I have been hoarding for way too long, I decided I need to start making recipes using up as much of my dried ingredients as possible. You do not want to know how many bags and bags of dried stuff I have. It’s kind of ridiculous for just 1 person, but I used to like having any ingredient at my finger tips when I got a craving for a new recipe.

It’s also extremely affordable to make vegan slow cooker recipes using dried, canned and frozen ingredients, especially when a small amount of work can yield such delicious food and have lots of leftovers. So even though it’s just me, i don’t mind having leftovers of super delicious curries because I can just give away a few portions to hungry friends, and freeze some for easy meals when I’m too tired to cook. Plus why spend $5-7 on a single frozen vegan meal, when you can make a big batch of something a few times a month and freeze it yourself, right? Right.

Although I don’t have a slow cooker recipe book yet, I know it’s something that a few of you have been asking for. It does take some time since I can’t make several recipes a day using this method and crank them out for recipe testing. It’s a slower process, but convenient for people who are busy and really hate “active cooking time” i.e. standing at the stove and/or making a big mess and fitfully sobbing when you didn’t stir it enough and it ends up burned… I mean that doesn’t happen to me that often, but I understand not everyone WANTS to live in the kitchen making food day in and day out.

So I’ll help you out, i’ll work on more slow cooker recipes this season and make it easy on both of us to make cheap, easy and filling meals for yourself and your friends/family who basically expect you to feed them and rely on you. Or is that just me? I have a lot of friends who are always looking for food hand outs lol.

Any slow cooker you have laying around that is a standard size (not individual sized) will do for this recipe, I used my Ninja Cooking System because I could sauté the onions, garlic and ginger right in the cooking insert over the medium heat setting. I don’t like having extra dishes to do when I make slow cooker recipes, so I find this convenient for me and the thing I hate most about cooking is dishes honestly.

Oh also, I will be doing a little Black Friday/Cyber Monday holiday sale next week just like last year. So keep your eyes peeled for the email notice. If you haven’t signed up to my newsletter yet to stay up to date on new (and favourite free) recipes you can sign up in the pink box on the upper right hand side of the screen there too.

1. Carefully cut the skin off the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1 inch cubes. To make cutting easier you can slice is in half and microwave the squash for 3 minutes and let cool before cutting.

2. *Optional step: sauté the onions, garlic and ginger in a pan with a little water or in the insert of a Ninja Cooking System.* Assemble all of the ingredients in your slow cooker excluding the peas, spinach, salt and cilantro. Cook on low for 8 hours.

3. About 20 minutes before serving, add in the fresh peas and spinach and stir until spinach is wilted.

4. Taste test and add salt as desired. For a slightly thicker sauce you can use a potato masher and mash some of the squash and chickpeas.

Dried chickpeas are best as they will absorb the flavor of the curry as they cook. Don’t use canned chickpeas and cook this for 8 hours as that’s completely unnecessary, 4-6 hours maximum as they’re already cooked.

The night before, sort and rinse the dried chickpeas in a strainer, place in a large bowl and cover with at least 6 cups of water. Alternatively you can do the Quick Soak Method: bring the rinsed chickpeas to a boil in a pot of water and cook for 1 minute and let soak for at least an hour. I find slow soaked chickpeas rather than quick soak chickpeas more tender when cooked, but it’s up to you.

For easy frozen meals later, freeze small portions of the curry and rice separately in tupperware containers.

Question: Have you started using your slow cooker yet this season? What’s your favorite recipe?

Sometimes you get a craving for a creamy salad, especially potato salad – but how do you make it creamy and whole food based at the same time? Simple! I switch out the vegan mayo (not a condiment I use in my kitchen!) and substitute a fresh ripe avocado and mash it up and season my vegan potato salad it just like I would any other.

Except that my version is ultimately tastier than what you’re probably used to. I like to give it more kick and I up the seasonings in it so it’s truly a dish you can enjoy on it’s own or pair with a light soup or wrap. This recipe is also oil free, soy free, gluten free and nut free as well so it’s great for allergy friendly households.

So get ready to try the best whole food potato salad you’ve never had! And please tell me how much you enjoyed it once you have

1. Wash potatoes and cut out any bad spots or eyes.
2. Steam, or pressure cook the potatoes gently until they are just fork tender through the centre, but al dente. Immediately run the potatoes under cold water to prevent from cooking further.
3. For best results, refrigerate cooked potatoes for about an hour until cool. (This ensures they don’t fall apart when slicing)
4. Quarter the potatoes and peel if desired.
5. Peel and mash the avocado in a small bowl. Add lemon juice, and seasonings (except fresh herbs) and stir into avocado to create a dressing.
6. Turn potatoes into a large bowl. Add the fresh herbs and avocado dressing. Toss gently until everything is coated. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired.
7. Serve or refrigerate until needed. Best consumed same day, or next day (as the avocado changes color and breaks down quickly)

What’s your favorite addition to potato salad and what type of potatoes do you like to use?

Then keep reading. Because right here in this email, I’ll share a few of them with you.

You might think that I have “tasted it all”. But to my delight, I was tantalized by many of the recipes I discovered.

Try these yourself and dazzle your taste buds.

Elaina Love’s Hot Chocolate Elixir

I sometimes miss coffee, and occasionally I have some. But when I made this luscious ‘brew’ I knew I’d found a nutritious, filling coffee replacement. In fact, I’ve made it with a bit of instant coffee I keep in the house for company. This yummy hot drink is the perfect replacement for those $6- plus tip -drinks you buy at coffee houses. What a concept: a pick me up that’s actually good for you! Elaina Love is a SUPERSTAR international raw chef and teacher.

Directions: Blend on high until creamy and frothy. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg

Penni Shelton’s Blueberry Hemp-Nut Shake

This smoothie is a real winner. It takes under 5 minutes to make and will keep you fueled until lunch time with healthy fats and protein. Penni, you are a genius, such a simple but delicious recipe.

2 cups water

½ cup hemp seeds

1 Tablespoon coconut nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 x 10 ounce package frozen blueberries

1 banana

Blend all ingredients into a smooth, creamy, yummy shake.

From Penni: With the high protein and essential fatty acids of hemp nuts and the powerful antioxidant superfood status of blueberries, I knew this shake wouldn’t let me down.

Deb Durrant’s Chocolate and Raspberry Parfait

An innovative recipe creator and fabulous teacher, caterer and Raw Food Guru in the UK, Deb creates amazing raw desserts as well as anything else you can think of, in her signature Super Gourmet way.

Mousse Ingredients (serves 4):

2 medium size, very ripe avocados

1 heaping cup raw cacao powder

1 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup coconut butter, melted (I skip this part since there’s already enough fat in the recipe from the avocados)

1 Tablespoon vanilla paste

Pinch of Himalayan pink salt

For the fruit layer:

1 punnet (approximately 1 pint US) raspberries

1 Tablespoon agave syrup (I’m not a fan of agave, so I skip this)

For the chocolate mousse: Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside. Then make the raspberry jam: Mash half the raspberries with the back of a fork and mix in the agave syrup. Spoon a bit of jam in the bottom of each of the glasses. Then add the chocolate mousse layer and top with a teaspoon of raspberry jam. Top with the remaining fresh raspberries. Put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two to set.”

Wow! These three recipes are from Nomi’s latest collection: What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2– but I haven’t even mentioned yet the $212.72 worth of Super Bonuses you get with purchase of What Do Raw Fooders Eat, Volume 2!

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This collection will give you hundreds of brand new ideas to thrill your taste buds and shake up your menu plan. You’ll never again settle for the same boring meals, or wonder what to eat. And it’s yours risk free for 3 months.

If you’re among the first 500 people to order, you’ll get a huge early bird bonus package worth $212.72 This email is going out to a lot of people, so check it out now.

This collection will give you hundreds of brand new ideas to thrill your taste buds and shake up your menu plan. You’ll never again settle for the same boring meals, or wonder what to eat. And it’s yours risk free for three full months.

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I am a naturally skeptical person, especially when it comes to spa/health products that seem to be hyped up. On a whim I decided to order the three items above from Amazon after reading a lot of reviews and narrowing my choices down. You see it’s bikini/short season and my legs are already pretty short and stubby as it is and I’d prefer they look half decent with as little cellulite as possible. Sitting all winter and doing a lot of driving has not left my legs in the best shape they could be in. So I thought what the heck, I will see if a cellulite skin brush and a homemade seaweed mask would make a difference at all. All in all it only cost me about $48 with free Amazon Prime shipping (I like to order a few things at once and drive across the border to get them on my US trips) and was cheaper and in a larger quantity than what the local health food store was charging. I also like that Amazon offers reviews and refunds which local stores can’t really compete with when it comes to spa products.

I have done skin brushing before with a few different items. I’ve used a “soft” bristled skin brush (made my skin a bit itchy), a copper skin roller (takes some getting used to), and this new rubberized “cellulite” skin brush. I don’t think it matters too much what kind of brush you get. But this rubber one is easy to hold and pretty cheap which is nice.

The first thing you want to do (and you want to try to do this every day) is to brush any of your “problem” areas gently with a skin brush in an upward motion, moving the brush up towards your heart. This will bring in more blood and improve circulation along with oxygenation of your skin and slough off old dead skin cells and make your skin brighter and smoother. This alone is beneficial to do every day. If you’re wanting to do your face, make sure you get a small gentle brush and brush down towards your heart, only for a few minutes so you don’t irritate your skin too much.

The next step (and you can do this once or twice a week if you want) is to make your seaweed skin mask. I mixed one part kelp powder, with one part green clay and added enough water for it to become a loose paste. I would suggest using about 1/4 cup of each if doing a large portion of your body, or 2 tablespoons of each if you’re only doing your thighs. You can use water, olive oil, lemon juice etc to bind the paste together. If you end up getting the Natural eSCENtials kelp powder I mention above they send you a free mask recipe book to make all different kinds of masks which is helpful. They will personally email you after purchase with the ebook, which I thought was a very nice touch. You can also ask them questions too!

Once you have made your seaweed mask you can (in the shower or bathtub, trust me) gently rub it onto your desired area. Smooth it on in one direction for best results so it stays on and covers the most surface area, as opposed to rubbing it on in circles. You can either wrap your body in saran wrap, gauze or paper towels and stand or lay down (on some more towels) for about 30 minutes to let the product absorb into your skin.

Lastly just head back to the shower/tub and rinse off the seaweed mask. You should notice that your skin is much much smoother to touch and in appearance, and you’ll have far less dimpling from cellulite as well. When I was rinsing my mask off for the first time I was kind of in shock, it made such a big difference and that’s the reason I wanted to share this with you guys. I’m pretty happy overall in my small investment and will make this part of my weekly routine especially in the summer.

Alternatively if you don’t want to make a mask or don’t have time to lay around and wait for it to absorb, you can mix the kelp powder with some coarse sea salt and oil and make a bath/shower scrub with it and use it every day or every other day. Just be sure to be gentle at first as your skin won’t be used to being scrubbed with the large salt granules.

This was a pretty exciting experiment for me to try and I’m glad in this case I took a chance. I have no affiliation whatsoever with the makers of these products, I’m just sharing my positive experience with it as I know a lot of my readers are curious about seaweed masks and body wraps. Take it for what you will, and at least if you find it’s not for you, Natural eSCENtials offers a money back guarantee on the kelp powder which I appreciate.

Can I use this seaweed powder in drinks and smoothies as well?

Natural eSCENtials kelp powder is a spa product for use in scrubs, masks and wraps. I wouldn’t recommend eating it. If you are looking for a food safe type of kelp to add to drinks or smoothies I would suggest this. Actual food grade powders are going to be safer for consumption.

I knew I was going to be asked about the “body wraps” that are all the rage. I have a few friends that are into these body wraps, and there are a few brands going around online and privately. Although they are more expensive in the long run than making your own seaweed body mask, it’s an option if you want to save some time. I did find they don’t stay on too well on their own and I suggest wrapping saran wrap around it to hold it in, or using a corset or body shaper to hold it on (one you don’t mind getting a bit dirty). You CAN also add your homemade seaweed mask to these body wraps as well, but that’s optional.

Have you ever tried a seaweed mask or body wrap before? What did you think of it? Did you notice any difference in your skin’s appearance?

This is a really easy recipe 80/10/10 style recipe that you can use as a quick breakfast, a snack, replacement for cooked applesauce in baking or a raw dessert. If you have a few bruised apples laying around, it also takes care of those too!

Raw vegan apple sauce is also very kid friendly for a quick meal. I use ceylon cinnamon in this applesauce recipe. It is OUT OF THIS WORLD! You can check it out here at our store. It doesn’t have a dry bitter flavour like the regular hard cinnamon sticks you find at the grocery store. Ceylon cinnamon is made from a different cinnamon tree and actually tastes like sweet cinnamon, almost a mix between powdered sugar and cinnamon. It’s sugar free of course and tastes great for many different dessert toppings.

1. Place apples, water, banana, cinnamon and allspice in a Vitamix (or food processor) and push down using the tamper, and blend until creamy. Using a frozen banana will give you a nice cool applesauce.

I use this when I also need some applesauce for baking, and just omit the date and cinnamon if it would affect the recipe. It’s a great way to use up some extra apples and banana when you don’t want them to go to waste!

When I was thinking up raw soups to make, that would look great and I would enjoy eating, I got the idea of packing in more and more veg into it instead of having it be all heavy from nuts or lots of avocado. The solution was to add some fresh yellow bell pepper, for flavour, bulk, and colour. It really adds to this simple combination of corn and avocado and took it to a whole new level.

Whenever I show people pictures of this soup, they can’t believe it’s raw and think it looks so great. Well it tastes even better too. You can also get very creative with the garnishing. I went for a very simple look to display the solid soup ingredients and garnishes. Of course if you make the recipe you can add as much as you like. You can also make this a little spicier by adding more chili powder.

The beauty of raw soups, is that they are quite fast to make (aside from cutting fresh corn off a cobb, you can use frozen if you must) and you can blend them until they are the temperature you want in the Vitamix. So they can be room temperature, warm or quite warm. Just blend for 30-60 seconds for room temperature 1-2 minutes for warm, and then once you get past 2 minutes you are essentially really heating the soup and can cook it a little. So keep this in mind, depending whether you want a room temperature raw soup, or a transitional warm “raw” soup.

This recipe will please even the most skeptical people of raw soups. Just blend it a little longer so it’s warm and not cold if you’re using corn and bell peppers straight from the fridge.